On Wednesday evening, special guests were treated to a reception and admission to the Louvre Exhibition at the Denver Art Museum - Frederic C. Hamilton Building. The reception was designed to thank all of the workers, staff and partners of Goodwill Industries during the holiday season as well as to celebrate a monumental milestone as the 2007 Nonprofit of the Year. Delicious hors d'oeuvres by The Bistro Boys were served. There was a cash bar, dancing and a special raffle of a book published by the Denver Art Museum called "Artisans & Kings" which showcases the selected treasures from the Louvre on display in Denver until January 6th. A photographer was on hand to provide a special events souvenir -- a photo of the guest in front of the Eiffel Tower - given to the guests when leaving the event.

As part of the event, all guests were treated to discover the stories behind the art. Through an audio tour, guests were able to explore the intriguing relationships between the French royals and their craftsmen through more than 125 objects from the Louvre—including decorative arts, furniture, sculpture, paintings, and drawings.

The Denver Art Museum is a private, non-profit, educational resource for Colorado. The mission of the museum is to enrich the lives of Colorado and Rocky Mountain residents through the acquisition, preservation, and presentation of art works in both the permanent collections and temporary exhibitions, and by supporting these works with exemplary educational and scholarly programs. The evening's events and admission to the museum was graciously donated by Axa Advisors.

Goodwill Industries of Denver was recently selected as the 2007 non-profit of the year by the Denver Chamber of Commerce. Their mission is to ensure that every person in the community has the opportunity to live to his or her potential and to attain personal and economic self-sufficiency.

Goodwill believes in the power of work as a means to self-sufficiency and a transformational element in the lives of the more than 19,000 people served each year. Goodwill promotes sustainable change throughout the community and supports a growing economy through a model that provides education, training and opportunities to help the working poor, people moving from welfare to work and disabled adults working to attain true self-sufficiency.

Goodwill serves as a link between the education and business communities by providing intensive, classroom-based career development services to more than 17,000 students in 27 area schools. These programs help students stay in school, graduate and prepare for post-secondary education or immediate entry into the workplace following graduation. Goodwill’s youth programs are proactive, prevention programs designed to help teens establish real-world connections between education, career development and the local business community.